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gene therapy

Israel’s historic gene therapy helps 4-year-old from India, Israel’s TrainPain wins the Grand Prize, Israel’s SofWave Medical wins 2 international awards, and much more!

By Michael Ordman

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Historic gene therapy operation

Doctors at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center made history with a 7-hour operation to deliver Upstaza gene therapy directly to the brain of a 4-year-old girl from India. The NIS  10 million cost per vial was the most expensive single Israeli surgery ever and was given free of charge.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/04/02/israeli-doctors-make-history-with-gene-therapy-treatment-to-brain/

Prize-winning pain relief

Israel’s TrainPain has won the Grand Prize in the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) & MIT Hacking Medicine Innovation Challenge. TrainPain uses neurotechnology to retrain sensory the brain through engaging haptic mobile games.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trainpain-awarded-grand-prize-in-the-american-academy-of-pain-medicine–mit-hacking-medicine-innovation-challenge-301814260.html

https://www.trainpain.com/
https://pain.haifa.ac.il/projects/train-pain/

Award-winning skin treatment

Israel’s SofWave Medical (see here previously) has won two recent international awards. At the 13th Annual NewBeauty Awards it won Best Noninvasive Cellulite Treatment. Then it won the Good Housekeeping Magazine Award for Best Anti-Aging Pro Treatment.
https://sofwave.com/news/sofwave-wins-2023-newbeauty-award-for-best-non-invasive-cellulite-treatment/
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/05/02/2659180/0/en/Sofwave-Wins-Good-Housekeeping-Magazine-Award-for-Best-Anti-Aging-Pro-Treatment.html

The origin of red blood cells

Researchers led by Professor Ido Amit of Israel’s Weizmann Institute, have discovered that the kidney is the source of the hormone EPO (erythropoietin), which turns cells in the bone marrow into oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Increasing EPO in kidney disease patients could prevent anemia.
https://nocamels.com/2023/05/breakthrough-discovery-on-the-origin-of-red-blood-cells/

US approves portable 3D X-ray device

Israel’s Nanox (see here previously) has received US FDA approval for its light-weight imaging system for clinics and hospitals. The Nanox.ARC can employ up to five separate X-ray-emitting tubes at once for a 3D image. The FDA approved Nanox’s single-source X-ray bed in early 2021.
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/nanox-scores-clearance-cloud-connected-x-ray-bed-after-years-fda-review

https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-nanox-wins-fda-approval-for-cloud-based-xray-system-1001445270

Schizophrenia treatment gets US approval

The US FDA has approved UZEDY (risperidone), developed for the treatment of schizophrenia by Israel’s Teva and France’s Medincell. In a Phase 3 human clinical trial, UZEDY demonstrated up to 80% reduction in risk of schizophrenia relapse versus a placebo.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-fda-approves-innovative-teva-schizophrenia-drug-1001445160
https://www.tevapharm.com/news-and-media/latest-news/teva-and-medincell-announce-fda-approval-of-uzedy-risperidone-extended-release-injectable-suspension-/

Diagnosing children with fever

The 15-min BV test from Israel’s MeMed (see here previously) accurately diagnosed over 90% of bacterial versus viral infections at Israel’s Schneider Children’s Medical Center, reducing Emergency Department physician error. The study tested 287 children from 3 months to 18 years.
https://www.me-med.com/press-releases/clinical-data-validate-pioneering-memed-bv-technology-improves-diagnosis-of-pediatric-patients-with-fever-in-the-emergency-department/
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281018

Relieving post-op pain

Israel’s PainReform has just completed a Phase 3 human trial of its PRF-110 post-operative pain relief. The oil-based, viscous, clear solution is deposited directly into the surgical wound bed prior to closure to provide localized and extended post-operative analgesia.
https://painreform.com/releases/painreform-announces-positive-safety-data-in-first-part-of-phase-3-clinical-trialof-prf-110-in-patients-undergoing-bunionectomy-surgery/

Modifying gut bacteria to fight disease

Israel’s Trobix Bio is using CRISPR, phage, and synthetic biology technologies to develop precision microbiome oncology therapeutics. TBX101 counters anti-biotic resistance; TBX201 reduces chemotherapy side-effects; TBX301 tackles gut inflammation.
https://www.trobix.bio/

 

 

Israeli partnership to bio-print organs

Israeli startups Stratasys (see here previously) and CollPlant (see here previously) are jointly to create human tissues and organs. They will use Stratasys’ P3 bioprinter and CollPlant’s rh-Collagen-based bioinks. The first project will be to produce reconstructive implants.
https://ir.collplant.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/144/stratasys-and-collplant-unite-technologies-to-transform

Reduction in Israeli skin cancer rates

In the 1990s, Israel had the 3rd highest rate of melanoma (skin cancer) per capita in the world. In 2020, Israel was not even in the top 20. Reasons include the Chacham B’Shemesh (Smart in the Sun) programs from preschool to 12th grade. Plus, annual checkups and early excision.
https://www.israel21c.org/melanoma-deaths-are-dropping-in-israel-heres-why

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